Expellant holder with telescopic screw core



Feb. 26, 1946. J. w. .ANDERSON EXPELLANT HOLDER WITH TELESCOPIC SCREW CORE Filed Feb. 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet- 1 l 1 im...

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Feb- 26, 1946. J. w. ANDERSON EXPELLANT HOLDER WITH TELESCOPIC SCREW CORE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvEToR AoRNY Filed Feb. 27, 1943 Patented Feb. 26, 1946 EXPELLANT HOLDER WITH TELESCOPIC SCREW OGRE John W. Anderson, Newtown, Conn.

Application February 27, 1943, Serial No. 477,364

(Cl. 20G-56) 10 Ciaims.

This invention relates to dispensing containers of the applicatory type adapted to serve as a hollow handle for holding projecting and retracting a contained body of dispensible substance such as a stick-like body of cosmetic, medecinal, hygienic, or marking material, as for example lipstick.

In my copending application, Serial No. 467,573, led December 2, 1942, there is disclosed a container of this kind wherein the encompassing wall of an outer casing which houses the retracted lipstick is free from any internal rotatable sleeve interposed between the lipstick and the casing wall as was resorted to in the prior art for transmitting the mechanical action that projects and retracts the lipstick from the container. In the said copending application it is explained that elimination of such extra internal sleeve enables a lipstick of optimum diameter to be housed within and mechanically projected from a container of minimum overall diameter. Viewed conversely, a smaller overall size of housing is thereby enabled to contain and project a lipstick of larger diameter than has heretofore been possible.

The present improvements share this same general objective but further aim to place in screwthreaded operative relationship certain telescoping parts that comprise a core internal and exclusive of the outer casing and which in accordance with the principles of my said copending application are located between the bottom end of the outer casing and the nearest, or bottom, end of the carrier for the lipstick when the latter is in projected position ready for use. This makes it unnecessary to provide the outer casing with any screw thread or groove whatever, if preferred, so that the wall of the casing shell may be made even thinner than before and the lipstick carrier need not rotate with respect to the casing shell in order to be ejected and retracted.

Another object is to make use of internal stick,

projecting mechanism involving telescoping parts in which such parts may be of cylindrical rather than polyhedral shape in cross section and free from perforations of any kind thereby to render them more rugged.

A still further object is to construct an assembly of telescoping members in which the extent of axial separation of such members may be limited through the instrumentality of one or more blind-ended grooves slidably engaged by some form of follower projection, or lug, carried on an associated telescopic part so that sliding of such lug along such groove causes Screw-like relative movement between the telescoping members.

The above described and other features of the invention will become clear in greater detail from the following description of representative embodiments, in which description reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view showing on an enlarged scale and partially in diametral section an improved applicative container for lipstick or the like embodying a preferred form of the present improvements.

Fig.`2 is a view in central dametral section showing the parts of Fig. 1 so adjusted as to retract the lipstick fully into the container, an ordinary form of cap or protective cover appearing in place. i

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the same lipstick container with its interior parts intermediate their limit positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the plunger which carries the lipstick detached from the container with front wall partially broken away to expose its interior construction.

` Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7 taken on the plane 8--8 in Fig. 1 looking downward.

Fig. 9 shows my improved container held in the hand of the user in a manner to operate it without assistance from the other hand of the user.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary View similar to Fig. 2 showing modifications of the construction wherein the outer casing wall contains no groove and both screw-like cam grooves are blind ended at the bottom.

Fig, 11 is a fragmentary enlarged view taken in section on the plane Il-ll in Fig. 10 looking downward.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view in side elevation looking in the direction of arrow I2 in Fig. 11 with cam follower lugs at the blind bottom ends of their respective modified cam grooves when the parts are positioned as in Fig. l.

Fig. 13 shows a still further modification wherein the telescoping parts may consist of thin walled tubes having interengaging helical guide means in the form of rolled or embossed screw threads.

The parts shown in the drawings may be composed of any available plastic substances in molded or extruded form, or of different mate- -at both ends.

rials such as metal or workable paper stock formed by drawing, stamping, bending or rolling sheets thereof, or by casting or molding the material that comprises the parts.

The outer casing I5, before assembly, is open Its bottom or base end is provided with an external annular bead I I while its top or open end is somewhat chamfered at I2 to receive the slip-on cover cap I3. In one form of the invention a longitudinal straight groove i9 is sunk in the internal face of casing I which groove is blind ended at near the top of the casing but opens freely outward through the bottom end of the casing at 2 I.

The bottom beaded end of casing I0 seats against an internalannular shoulder I4 sunk in the top end of ferrule I6 and rotatably lits inside the annular rim I5 of such ferrule. upon assembly is turned inward all around so as to imprison bead I I with such t as will hold ferrule I6 and casing I0 together longitudinally and yet permit them to swivel freely relatively to each other. The opposite or bottom end of hollow ferrule IB is closed by the end wall Il. Upstandstanding fixedly from end wall I'I there is a post I8 that is preferably hollow to save weight and material. In the form shown herein post I8 is cylindrical and carries near its top end a laterally projecting lug or a cam follower 35.

The cup-like carrier or plunger member for the stick of cosmetic or other substance is composed of a straightly continuous tubular wall extending axially and lying directly adjacent the inner surface of the cylindrical wall of casing I0 and whose perimeter may be guided like a plunger by direct sliding contact therewith at both of the axially opposite end portions of said tubular wall throughout the range of reciprocative travel of said plunger member lengthwise of the container. Fixed on this carrier plunger is a `projecting lug 26 which slidably nts the straight groove I9 incasing I0. i

This rim According to .the Apresent improvements the L mechanical actuating parts comprise a working mechanism composed of overlapped sleeve-like telescoping members which have screw 'camming engagement with each other, sometimes in the form of a helical guideway and follower lug. In the embodiment shown in Figs. l to 8 there is employed an intermediate slidable telescopic plunger actuating screw coupling 21 which comprises a hollow cylinder that is open at both ends. As assembledin Figs. 1, 2 and 3, this tubular screw coupling telescopically overlaps actuating post I 8 on ferrule I6 and in turn is slidingly overlapped by the hollow cylindrical skirt 2d which depends Xedly from carrier plunger 25.

Asmost clearly shown in Fig. 4, a helical rib, screw thread or cam groove 32 is sunk in the interior surface of the depending skirt 28 of plunger 25 and this groove is blind or dead ended at its bottom terminus 33. The same groove opens upward at its top 34 through the annular shoulder 3| on which is seated the bottom end of lipstickr3 which fits and is steadied by the surrounding rim 29 of the carrier plunger. The thickness of the plunger wall is substantially reduced at this point to dene and border upon a stick carrying socket based at shoulder 3l which socket is therebyv increased in diameter so as rmly to seat, hold and afford room for an end of said stick having a girth more nearly as large as the casing shell I0. At the top, groove 32terminates in end-to-end relation to the aforesaid stick carrying socket.

Fig. 5 shows that the tubular coupling 2'1 is also provided with a screw thread or groove 4I sunk in its interior surface which groove is blind ended at its top terminus l42 but in one form of the invention opens downward at 43 through the bottom end of tubular coupling 2i. In such case I prefer to makethe screw pitches of cam grooves 32 and 4I of sufficiently different angles of inclination to prevent tubular coupling 21 from accidently working upward far enough away from its position shown in Fig. l to become disengaged or escape from overlapping relation to ferrule post I8. Coupling 21 further carries the external laterally projecting lug 44 adapted to slidingly fit and follow the cam groove 32 in the skirt 28 of plunger 25.

In operation my improved lipstick holder may be grasped in the hand of the user as clearlgr illustrated in Fig. 9 with the bottom ferrule i6 clutched between the palm of the hand and the second or third finger while the thumb and index finger of the same hand is left free to swivel the casing shell I0 about its central axis relative to shell I5. This relative rotation of shell and ferrule will cause the lipstick 3B to move back and forth between its fully projected position in Fig. l and its fully retracted position in Fig. 2 since the carrier plunger 25 is caused to rotate in unison with the outer shell I through engagement of lug 2B with groove lI 9 and therefore lug 44 on tubular coupling 21 must slide along groove 32 in plunger 25 or else lug 35 on ferrule post I8 must slide along groove 4I in coupling 27. The screwlike reaction between either of the lugs and the cam groove in which it rides will drive carrier plunger 25 one way or the other lengthwise of shell IU.

. In the movement of the parts from their positions in Figs. 2 and 6 to their positions in Figs. 3 and 7, the telescopingscrew coupling 2l may remain in its lowest position as shown in Fig, 3 as it would tend to do through the effect of gravity. Or this screw coupling might tend te climb upward on the ferrule post I8 part way or fully to its position shown in Fig. 1 and while the carrier plunger 25 occupies only its intermediate position shown in Fig. 3.y In either case the carrier plunger 25 would be lifted from its position in Fig. 2 to its position in Fig. 3 whether its lifting movement were due to bodily raising of screw coupling 2i because of relative rotary movement between luef 44 and groove 32 or due merely to relative rotary movement of lug 35 relative to groove 4I, or due partly to each of these camming movements taking place together. The screw pitch or angle of inclination of either cam groove 32 and 4i is a matter of choice. If this screw pitch be made a sufficiently different angle of inclination in the case of each of the two cam grooves, then in Fig. 1, even if the entire container were inverted so that the lipstick pointed downward, screw coupling 21 would not be able to Work downward toward the inverted lipstick so as to escape from overlapping engagement with the ferrule post I8. This difference in thread pitch prevents simultaneous sliding of projections 35 and 44 in grooves 32 and 4l and thereby enforces sequential relative helical movement between members Iii-27 and members 2'I-28.

The same objective of'preventing accidental escape of screw coupling 21 from ferrule post I8 may be accomplished in several other different ways and even if the screw pitch of the cam grooves 32 and 4I is equal. One such way is illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11 wherein there is substituted for the xed lug 44 a retractable follower stud 36 which is movably mounted on the ferrule post I8' by means of a flexible resilient leaf spring 31 carrying stud 36 at its top end projecting through a notch 38 in th'e wall of post I8. Leaf spring 3l has its bottom end xedly anchored to or embedded in the material of ferrule post I8. The flexing of spring 31 enables the follower stud 33 to be withdrawn radially inward from the cam groove 39 to its retracted broken line positions in Figs. 10 and 11 so that th'e parts can be assembled if the bottom of cam groove 39 is made blind ended as in Figs. 10, 11 and 12 instead of open ended as in Fig. 5. Movement of plunger 25 higher than its position in Fig. 1 is prevented because lug 2E encounters the blind top end of groove I9. f

Fig. 12 shows these modied parts positioned correspondingly to Fig. 1 with the follower lug 44 at the bottom blind end of cam groove 32 in carrier plunger 25 and the retractable follower stud 36 at the bottom blind end of modif-led cam groove 39 in screw coupling 2l. Hence this screw coupling can not escape from ferrule post i8' unless the follower stud 35 is purposely pried inward of the ferrule post and this allows for convenient assembly and disassembly.

Figs. 10 and 11 show a further modification in that an inward projecting fin lll on the modified casing shell I8 is substituted for the straight groove I9 in shell I6, and a straight groove i3 sunk in the outer surface of the modied carrier plunger 25 isisubstituted for the lug 25 on carrier plunger 25. The lengthwise sliding engagement of fin lll in groove d8 serves the same purpose of preventing relative rotation between plunger 25 and shell l0 as is served by the sliding engagement of lug 26 in groove I9. In the modied construction, however, casing shell I E! need contain no groove and therefore may be made with a thinner wall thereby to further reduce the overall diameter of a casing sh'ell that is capable of housing a lipstick of given girth.

Fig. 13 illustrates a still further modification and shows among other things that an intermediate screw coupling llike 21 or 21 may be dispensed with if the plunger actuating ferrule post lugs 35 or 36 are given direct camming engagement with the carrier plunger groove 32. In that case the internal diameter of the plunger skirt 28 will be made a sliding t in relation to the external diameter of ferrule post I8 or I8. Also in Fig. 13 it is shown that there may be substituted for a cam groove and follower lug two slidably engaged helical screw threads 5l), 52 respectively carried by the modified carrier plungi ers 5| or 25 and the modified plunger actuating ferrule post 53. yWhile the helical bead or screw thread 5i! might be molded in relief on the internal surface of plunger skirt 28 I may otherwise provide this screw thread by fixedly lodging in the hollow of skirt 28 a metallic shell 54 in which the said screw thread 50 is embossed inwardly by any suitable thread rolling process. Likewise the modified ferrule post 53 may oonstitute a thin metallic shell having the mating screw thread 52 depressed therein'by a rolling process. Modied ferrule post 53 will be fixedly embedded at its lower end in the material of the modified ferrule I6', or could be made removable therefrom and replaceable after assembly. Any of the plunger actuating telescopic screw meinbers may be proportioned and related to overlap each other more than shown in the drawings when this telescopic mechanism is fully extended as in Fig. 1.

The order of overlap of telescopic screw members such as I8, 21 and 28 or I3', 21 and 28' may be inverted, that is to say, post I8 or I8' may be made the outermost member and plunger apron 28 or 2B th'e innermost member. In such case the post may carry screw thread or cam groove 32 in its internal surface or its equivalent and follower lug 35 may be placed near the bottom on the outside of screw coupling 2l or 21 to ride in post carried groove 32 while follower lug 35 will be placed near the bottom on the outside of plunger sleeve 28 to ride in unchanged groove 4l. It will be understood that the screw cam grooves may be on either the outside surface or inside surface of whatever telescopic member Carries th'em so long as the follower projections are correspondingly placed on th'e adjacent member to effect the screw actuating movement desired.

As the foregoing constructions and suggested modifications and many others are possible within the new principles of construction and operation taught by the present disclosure, the appended claims will be understood as intended to cover all fair equivalents for the particular shapes proportions and arrangements herein disclosed which' come fairly within the language used in the claims to dene the invention.

I claim:

1. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensable substance, the combination of, an elongated external casing shell having an outlet end and a base end, a plunger member including a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having its outer surface slidably fitting said shell at opposite axial end portions of said plunger member, said sti'aightly continuous wall at one of said end portions having its thickness reduced and thereat defining and bordering a stick carrying socket said socket thereby being adapted firmly to seat hold and afford room for an end of said stick having a girth more nearly as large as said casing shell, at least one actuating member inside of said casing shell rotatably and telesc-opically movable relative to said plunger member, means restricting said plunger member to axial movement in a direction lengthwise of said casing shell, interengaging instrumentalities carried in part by each of said members including at least one screw thread, and manually operable means to turn one of said members relative to said casing shell.

2. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensible substance, the combination of, an external elongated casing shell having an open end, a plunger member including a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having an external girth slidably fitting said shell at opposite axial end4 portions of said plunger member and affording in one of said end portions a socket adapted firmly to hold and carry said stick, at least two actuating members inside of said casing shell smaller in girth than said tubular wall rotatably and telescopically movable relatively to each other, means restricting said plunger member to sliding movement lengthwise of said casing shell, interengaging instrumentalities carried partly by each of said members including at least two screw threads on respectively different members, and manually operable means to turn one of said members relatively to said casing shell.

3. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensible substance, the combination of, an external elongated casing shell having an open'end,'a plunger member including a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having a perimeter slidablyfitting said'shell at opposite axial end portions of said plunger member, said wall at one of said end portions defining and bordering a stick carrying socket adapted rmly to seat and hold a full size end of said stick, at least one actuating member inside of said casing shell rotatably and telescopically movable relatively to said plunger member, means restricting said plunger member to sliding movement lengthwise of said casing shell, interengaging instrumentalities carried partly by each of said members including a screw thread on the interior of the said tubular wall terminating in end-to-end relation to said socket and a follower on said actuating member cooperatively engaged with said screw thread, and means to turn one of said members relatively to said casing shell thereby to slide said follower along said screw thread and cause movementof said plunger axially in said casing shell.

4. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensable substance, the combination defined in claim 3, in which the said screw thread on the interior of the said tubular wall is dead ended at a point spaced from the axial end of said wall most remote from the said stick carrying socket.

5. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensible substance, the combination of, an external elongated casing shell having an open end, a plunger member including a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having a perimeter slidably fitting said shell at opposite axial end portions of said plunger member said wall at one of said end portions defining and bordering a stick carrying socket adapted firmly to Seat and hold a full size end of said stick, at least one actuating member inside of said casing shell rotatably and telescopically movable relative to said plunger member, means restricting said plunger member to sliding movement lengthwise ofl said casing shell, interengaging instrumentalities carried in part by each of said members including a helical groove sunk in the interior face of said tubular wall to a depth less than the thickness of said wall and terminating in endto-end relation to said socket a projection on said actuating member cooperative with said groove, and manually operable means to turn one of said members relative to said casing shell.

6. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensible substance, the combination of, an external elongated casing shell having an open end, a plunger member composed of a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having an external girth slidably tting said shell at opposite axial end portions of said plunger member and having formed in said wall at one of said end portions an inside annular shoulder bordering a socket adapted rmly to hold and carry said stick, at least one actuating member inside of said casing shell rotatably and telescopically movable relative to said plunger member, means restricting said plunger member to sliding movement lengthwise of said casing shell, interengaging instrumentalities carried in part by each of said members including a helical groove sunk in the interior face of said tubular wall opening through said shoulder into said socket and a projection on said actuating member adapted to enter said helical groove where the latter opens into said socket to permit operating assemblage and disassemblage of said members, and manually operable means to turn one of said members relative to said casing shell.

7. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensable substance, the combination dened in claim 6, in which the said helical groove is dead ended at a point spaced from the axial end of the said tubular wall that is most remote from the said stick holding socket.

8. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensable substance, the combination of, an elongated external casing shell having an outlet end and a base end, a plunger member including a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having its outer surface slidably fitting said shell at opposite axial end portions of said plunger member, said straightly continuous wall at one of said end portions defining and bordering a stick carrying socket adapted iirmly to seat and hold a full size end of said stick, at least one actuating member inside of said casing shell rotatably and telescopically movable relative to said plunger member having its maximum compass at least as small as that of said socket, an external ferrule coupled rotatably to said casing shell at an annular swivel joint surrounding said maximum compass of said actuating member, said maximum compass of 'said actuating member extending past said annular joint into direct junction with said ferrule, means restricting said plunger member to movement in a direction lengthwise of said casing shell, and interengaging instrumentalities carried in part by each of said members including at least one screw thread.

9. In an applicative container adapted to serve as a hollow handle for holding projecting and retracting a contained body of dispensible substance, an elongated open-ended casing shell including an encompassing wall bordering aY space within said container receptive to said body, a plunger movable lengthwise of said shell within said space having a seat receptive to said body for carrying the latter, at least three members telescopically movable relative to each other for propelling said plunger relatively to said shell located between said plunger seat and one end of said shell, means operatively associating said plunger with said shell in a manner to restrict relative rotary movement therebetween while permitting said plunger to slide lengthwise of said shell, and interengaging instrumen- Vtalities carried partly by each of said members including screw threads on at least two of said members having respectively differing pitches and follower projections on at least two of said members slidingly engaged with said screw threads of different pitch respectively in a manner to prevent simultaneous sliding ofboth projections in both grooves for thereby enforcing sequential relative helical movement between said members, together with means manually accessible outside of said shell connected to rotate one of said members for impelling said plunger lengthwise of said shell.

10. In an applicative container for holding projecting and retracting a stick of dispensible substance, the combination of, an external elongated casing shell having an open end, a plunger member including a straightly continuous axially extending tubular wall having a perimeter slidplunger member to sliding movement lengthwise of said casing shell, interengaging instrumentalities carried partly by each of said members including a screw thread protruding only inward from the internal surface of each of said members, and manually operable means to turn one of said members relative to said casing shell. JOHN W. ANDERSON. 

